¶1. (C) U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) Commander GeneralWilliam Ward met Algerian President Abdelaziz BouteflikaNovember 25, during Ward's first visit to Algeria sinceassuming command of AFRICOM. Ward said AFRICOM's strategywas to assist African nations in providing for their ownsecurity needs, not do the job for them. The U.S. recognizedAlgeria's leadership in the region, and AFRICOM was preparedto assist Algeria and its neighbors combat terrorism.Bouteflika said Algeria wanted to be a strategic partner, notan adversary. Our military relationship already includedtraining and technical cooperation. End-use-monitoringrequirements infringed on Algeria's national sovereignty andtherefore imposed some limits on military engagement. Butthe U.S. and Algeria shared a common goal in combatingterrorism. Terrorism in the region had taken a dangerousform, and Sahel countries were prepared to address theproblem jointly. More needed to be done to ensure theparticipation and commitment of Mali's political leadershipin the regional struggle. Bouteflika told Ward the Malianpresident needed to understand he could not be friends withboth the thieves and their victims at the same time.Trans-Sahara heads of state still planned to convene asecurity and development summit in Bamako but had yet to seta firm date. Bouteflika also reviewed Egyptian-Algeriantensions in the aftermath of a World Cup qualifying match,Western Sahara, the negative repercussions of Israelisettlement activities, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. On thesoccer issue, he made a point of telling Ward that the kingof Morocco -- in contrast to the strain with Egypt -- hadsent him a very warm congratulatory message after the game.At the end of the meeting, Bouteflika invited Ward to returnto Algeria in the near future. End summary.

Addressing Common Challenges----------------------------

¶2. (C) Visiting Africa Command (AFRICOM) Commander GeneralWilliam Ward met with Algerian President Abdelaziz BouteflikaNovember 25 at the presidential residence. With Bouteflikawere Chief of Staff of the Algerian National Popular Army(ANP) Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaid-Salah, Ministry ofNational Defense (MND) Director of External Relations andCooperation General Nourredine Mekri, ANP Chief ofOrganization and Logistics Major General Abdelhamid Ghrissand a translator. The Ambassador, General Ward's foreignpolicy advisor, Dr. Raymond Brown, the DATT and Poloff(notetaker) accompanied General Ward to the meeting, whichlasted two hours. Ward emphasized that his visit to Algierswas symbolic of our countries' growing bilateralrelationship. Africa Command's mission was to assist Africannations address their own security challenges, not to do itfor them. The purpose of his visit, Ward said, was to listento Algeria's perspective on enhancing our cooperation as weseek ways to work together to address common challenges inAfrica. Ward recognized that these challenges were complexand required development and political solutions, not justmilitary intervention. Going forward, we sought to cooperatein areas that Algeria determines are priorities. AFRICOMwelcomed the regional counterterrorism efforts Algeria hasengaged in with neighboring Sahel countries. Algeria isleading the effort; we will work with Algeria and itsneighbors to assist in eliminating the terrorist threat inthe region.

¶3. (C) President Bouteflika said that the United States andAlgeria shared a common objective and the will to workcooperatively in the fight against terrorism. Bouteflikanoted the U.S. and Algeria started to work more closelytogether during the Clinton administration when both sidescame to realize they were fighting the same problem.Bouteflika underscored that after 9/11, Algeria was the firstArab and Muslim country to send a message of solidarity toPresident Bush. Subsequently, despite the unpopularity ofsome Bush policies, political and economic relations betweenour countries improved. Today, relations were excellent, hesaid, noting that Algeria was the United States' secondlargest trading partner in the Middle East after Saudi Arabiaand our largest trading partner in Africa. President Obama'snew approach to U.S. foreign policy was "a breath of freshair" and well regarded by developing world countries. Butthis meant there were also high expectations for hisadministration. Bouteflika predicted that our bilateralrelationship would continue in a positive direction. Hecommented that the U.S. and Algeria were moving forward withcooperation, recognizing the value of dialogue across allleadership levels. In this regard, Bouteflika declared hewas ready to assist Ward and invited him to visit Algeriaagain.

Military Cooperation--------------------

¶4. (S) Bouteflika attached importance to Algeria'smilitary-military cooperation with the United States butnoted that U.S. end-use monitoring requirements contravenedAlgeria's national sovereignty. Nonetheless, we had madeprogress on training and technical cooperation. Bouteflikasaid the capabilities of U.S. and Algerian forces were wellunderstood in the region. Bouteflika argued that frank,direct talks were the key to a successful military dialogue,as well as recognizing that, in some cases, there would belimits on the extent of cooperation. "Tell us what you want,and we will tell you what we can do." Algeria, he continued,wanted to be a strategic partner for the U.S. in the region,not an adversary.

¶5. (S) General Ward thanked Bouteflika for his candidassessment of our mil-mil relationship. He said thePresident, secretaries of State and Defense, and US JointChiefs of Staff, all recognized the value of the US-Algeriapartnership. Bouteflika responded that he would help us toconsolidate that partnership. Ward argued that to enhanceour partnership, Algeria needed to tell us how we cancontribute best to achieve mutual objectives. Despite thebad things sometimes said about AFRICOM, Ward said with asmile, his command had not been created to take over Africa.Without missing a beat, Bouteflika replied with an evenbigger smile that he had been unsure about this himself untilWard came. Ward said that, as we continue our militarydialogue, we want to do the things Algeria tells us areimportant. Ward affirmed Algeria had long recognized thechallenge of extremism and demonstrated its ability to fightback. AFRICOM would do its part to support Algeria and itsneighbors in this effort. Addressing Bouteflika's point onend-use-monitoring requirements, Ward suggested focusing ourefforts in areas where cooperation was possible, i.e.,training and equipping. He acknowledged that some U.S. lawsand regulations may preclude for now Algeria's participationin other forms of engagement.

Civil-Military Relations------------------------

¶6. (S) Bouteflika underscored that Algeria's military"absolutely" respected the authority of civilian leadership."This is not at all like Turkey," he said. Bouteflikaasserted that the army was forced to take drastic measuresduring the violence of the 1990s in order to save thecountry. This was a difficult period, but constitutionalrule had been restored. "The house is now in order," hestressed, "and I can tell you that the army obeys thecivilians. There is one constitution and all obey it."Bouteflika acknowledged, however, that the problems of thepast still haunted the country. He cited foreign pressreports referring to Algeria as a dictatorship and arguedthat the term was sometimes used carelessly. The Algerianconstitution had established the rule of law. In 2004 it wasdecided that there was no more historical "revolutionarylegitimacy". The only legitimacy was the constitution."Anyone can be a candidate for election, in accordance withthe constitution, even a general." He paused, then grinnedand said, "but the generals realize the difficulties and nonehas been a candidate yet."

Counterterrorism----------------

¶7. (C) Bouteflika said terrorism in Africa had taken adangerous form. The situation in Somalia was hopeless, hecommented. Meanwhile, the Sahel region presented a complexset of issues. Fortunately, most Sahel countries weredetermined to cooperate and have the capability to fight thethreat if they work together. Mauritania expressed a clearcommitment as did Niger, although Bouteflika recognized U.S.concerns with President Tandja. Mali's full cooperationremained elusive, however. Mali's policies have failed tocreate stability in the north. The result is a lawlessenvironment in which smuggling, along with arms and drugtrafficking, enable terrorism. Bouteflika said the regionwas prepared to tackle this problem, and bilateral andregional efforts were already underway. In this regard,Algeria was closely monitoring U.S. military assistance toMali and Niger.

¶8. (S) Ward told Bouteflika that he planned to visit Bamakoafter Algiers and would encourage Mali's leaders to cooperatein the region's counterterrorism efforts. The U.S. wasproviding military assistance to Mali, and we hoped itcomplemented the work Algeria was doing. Ward emphasizedthat, ultimately, defeating terrorism was the responsibilityof the region. Bouteflika expressed his appreciation forU.S. assistance to Mali and said Algeria also provided aid,including some equipment. Bouteflika urged the U.S. to tellMalian President Amadou Toumani Toure that "he cannot be afriend to the thieves and victims at the same time." Many inMali's security services shared the same concern, Bouteflikaasserted. In the past, he said, Algeria has waited for thechance to debrief terrorist suspects held in Mali, only tofind out later that Malian officials were conductingnegotiations for the terrorist's release back to theterrorist organizations at the same time. "It is difficultto cooperate in these conditions," he said. Despitedifficulties, Bouteflika said regional leaders still plannedto convene a security and development summit in Bamako. Allagreed on the need for the summit, he said, but there wasstill no set date. Bouteflika said that Algeria would beopen to sharing information with the U.S. regarding Algeria'scooperation with its neighbors. General Ward said AFRICOMwould do the same for Algeria regarding U.S. initiatives inthe region.

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¶16. (S) The Ward-Bouteflika meeting was significant in anumber of respects. The Algerian president spoke repeatedlyof his readiness to build a strategic relationship with theUS. He transmitted clear readiness for closer coordinationand contact on Sahel counter-terrorism issues. The simplefact of the meeting with the president was itself a greenlight to the military bureaucracy on stepped-up bilateralmilitary cooperation. Not least, the warm and high-levelofficial reception provided a powerful antidote to thepersistent negative mythology about Africa Command since thecommand's rollout. It was also noteworthy that, in thepresence of three generals, including the chief of staff,Bouteflika spoke assertively to Ward about civilian controlof the military. He described the revolutionary origins ofmilitary influence in Algeria, said this so-calledrevolutionary legitimacy ended in 2004, and the military nowobeys the civilians and they all obey the constitution. Inthe course of his regional political review, Bouteflikadelivered Algeria's views on Western Sahara in familiarterms. But in doing so, he also struck an unusuallypositive note about Morocco and the king's message. Clearly,in the context of the high emotions stirred in Algeria overthe controversial World Cup contest with Egypt, Mohammed VI'smessage of congratulations struck a chord with Bouteflika.